# LTspice

10 Hacker News commenters recommended LTspice and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free circuit simulator that is quick, easy to use, and often has the model you need already ported. Critics say the interface is an acquired taste.

## Why people recommend it

- Rigorous circuit simulator (2 comments): "use LTspice as a rigorous simulator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47139450)) "It's the best circuit simulator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47397151))

## What people warn about

- Interface takes getting used to (2 comments): "the user interface is an acquired taste" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47397233)) "it's interface is less intuitive" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50058612))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Diode](https://hackerapproved.com/p/diode.md): 17 recommend
- [SPICE](https://hackerapproved.com/p/spice.md): 8 recommend
- [ngspice](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ngspice.md): 5 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "LTspice", https://hackerapproved.com/p/ltspice/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).